..The protein is also present in the manchette of the spermatids, a transient structure enriched in interconnected microtubules. We propose that kinocilin has a role in stabilizing dense microtubular networks or in vesicular trafficking...

Stereocilin connects outer hair cell stereocilia to one another and to the tectorial membrane

..We conclude that stereocilin is essential to the formation of horizontal top connectors. We propose that these links, which maintain the cohesiveness of the mature OHC hair bundle, are required for tip-link turnover...

..Unlike previously described sensorineural deafness genes, all of which underlie cochlear cell pathologies, DFNB59 is the first human gene implicated in nonsyndromic deafness due to a neuronal defect...